Plant Breeding Technologies: Advantages and Disadvantages Analysis

This report delves into plant breeding technologies, comparing selective breeding and genetic engineering techniques used to enhance food plants. Selective breeding involves choosing parent plants with desired characteristics for breeding, leading to offspring with improved traits and yields. Genetic engineering, or genetic modification, manipulates specific plant genes to alter their genetic makeup, such as introducing pest resistance genes into corn plants. The report discusses the advantages and disadvantages of both methods, including disease elimination, environmental safety, and improved crop yields for selective breeding, and disease resistance, reduced herbicide/pesticide use, and new crop varieties for genetic engineering. Disadvantages include the inheritance of similar weaknesses and the risk of cross-contamination in selective breeding, and potential allergies and loss of original traits in genetic engineering. The report concludes by emphasizing the need for further research and testing to ensure the safety and effectiveness of these food production methods, highlighting the importance of sustainability and nutritional value.

Running head: BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Biological Sciences
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Task 2
a) Selective breeding involves choosing the parent crop plants with desired
characteristics for breeding to produce offspring with more improved characteristics
and give better yields. Improved corn plants can be produced by choosing kernels that
have the ability to grow in diverse climate and soil types. If such kernels are used
than in future favoured kernels will be reproduced repeatedly. It is because the
offspring of the selectively bred corn plants will inherit similar traits and DNA (DU et
al. 2010, Landrigan and Benbrook 2015). The same technique can be used to produce
plants with desired characteristics such as tall plants, insect resistance plants and
many other characteristics.
(Diagram of selective breeding of maize corn crops-https://infograph.venngage.com/)

2BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
b) Genetic engineering is also called as the genetic modification involves the principle
of biotechnology to manipulate the specific plant’s gene to change the genetic
makeup by transfer of genes and produce novel plant organism. For instance, the corn
plants can be genetically cloned, by introducing the pest resistance gene (taken from
bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis) and gene for herbicide tolerance from other organism
of different species’, a process called transgenesis. Bacillus thuringiensis produces
toxins called Bt toxin that kills insects. The gene from this organism when introduced
into Corn plant using a vector called plasmid DNA of Agrobacterium tumefaciens
carrying BT gene. The corn cells are grown into culture until formation of callus. On
further treatment with hormone, these cells develop into transgenic corn plants with
integrated bacterial DNA. Therefore the corn cells are resistance to infection by
Agrobacterium responsible for the crown gall disease (Grierson 2013).

3BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(Diagram of plant genetic engineering, http://www.yeoldejournalist.com)
Task 3
The advantages of different types of breeding are-
Selective breeding (Landrigan and
Benbrook 2015)
Genetic engineering (Lawlor 2012)
Eliminating plant diseases- control
diseases like crown gall disease by
selective breeding
Safe for environment- reduce the need of
herbicide and pesticide

4BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Improve crop yield and high profit Disease resistance gives high yield
New varieties of crops and high quality
in shorter period of time
Sustainability of crops- to feed ever
growing population
No issues of safety due to naturally
evolutionary process of plants
Improved flavour and nutrition-
alteration of genes for better flavour
Positive influence on food production –
sustainable food chain due to availability
to grow plants previously unable.
Affordable and longer shelf life due to
yield of more crops
The disadvantages of different types of breeding are-
Selective breeding (Landrigan and Benbrook 2015) Genetic engineering (Lawlor 2012)
Similar genetics passed onto offspring- inheritance
same strengths and weakness
High chance of cross contamination- development
of super weeds that may have same resistance
properties as the crops
Vulnerability same disease Risk of allergies on consumption- Increasing
incidence of allergies on consumption of genetically
modified foods
Little genetic variation- Loss of species variety Less effective antibiotic priority. Antibiotic
property may be less effective after consumption

5BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Loss of original traits and emergence of new ones-
hamper the evolution proves
Need of more intense research and testing for high
use of the foods

6BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
References
DU, Z.H., ZHANG, F.Y., PING, J.A., GUO, J.W. and LU, X., 2010. Silage Corn Breeding
Research Progress and Development Trend in China [J]. Journal of Shanxi Agricultural
Sciences, 2, p.025.
Grierson, D., 2013. Plant genetic engineering. Springer Science & Business Media. Retrieved
from: https://books.google.co.in/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=56rsCAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=plant+genetic+engineering&ots=gwW
K8bsdTi&sig=D4SPUYl5t7fVsWx8qME6VKJpAgM#v=onepage&q=plant%20genetic
%20engineering&f=false
Landrigan, P.J. and Benbrook, C., 2015. GMOs, herbicides, and public health. New England
Journal of Medicine, 373(8), pp.693-695.
Lawlor, D.W., 2012. Genetic engineering to improve plant performance under drought:
physiological evaluation of achievements, limitations, and possibilities. Journal of experimental
botany, 64(1), pp.83-108.